Building construction



R. L. DAVISON June 13, 1944.

' BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Robert L. Davison R. L. DAVISON 2,351,015 BUILDING CONSTRUCTIbN Filed Dec. 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Robe 1 D viso w g,

HIS RNEY Patented June 13, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,351,015 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Robert-L. Davison, New York, N. Y. Application December 16, 1941, Serial No. 423,142

5 Claims.

This invention relates to building construction, especially building construction of the type wherein component structural elements are prefabri cated for immediate use in the field.

The invention is primarily concerned with may be so bound into the construction as a whole as to contribute materially to the structural strength and rigidity of the building construcframing structure in the form of lintels, sills,

mullions, etc. for window frames, filler panels, and the like.

The presently disclosed construction constitutes an improvement in the prefabricated building constructions set forth in my U. S. Patent No. 2,235,811, issued March 25, 1941 and in my copending application for U. S. Patent, Serial No.

393,498, filed May 15, 1941, and has to do'especially with the lintel, sill, and mullion elements of such building constructions. Accordingly, only the lintel, sill and mullion elements, and such additional structure of the building as a whole as is necessary to show the advantages effected by the present invention, are here illustrated.

My above mentioned patent sets forth the exterior walls of the building as made up of horizontal courses, preferably three courses for each story of the building, namely, a lower course made up of panel wall structural units, an upper course also made up of panel wall structural units, and an intermediate course made up of windows, or filler panels, or, usually, a well designed combina tion of the two. The lintel and sill elements extend peripherally of the building, substantially coextensively with the respective wall courses, and serve to receive and position the windows and I filler panels.

Pursuant to the present invention, the lintel and sill elements are arranged to not only receive and position window framing structures and filler panels, but are also arranged to tightly clamp the same into place so they become structural entities serving strengthening and stifiening purposes in combination with the associated structural elements of the building, without prevent ing interchange of such window frames and filler panels, or additions and reductions of one -or the other, at a future time as desired.

To the above and other objects, as appear hereinafter, the lintel and sill' elements are each formed of mutually co-acting longitudinal parts serving as clamp jaws, and are adjustably secured to one another by'threaded connecting elements which are arrangedto'be rotated for; cinching such longitudinal parts tightly against their associated window frame structures and filler panels.'

An object ofthe. invention, therefore, is to. provide means whereby the windows and filler panels of a building construction of the type described 55 tion while providing for relatively simple and easy rearrangement of the associated windows and filler panels if and when desired.

Another object is to simplify the erection of the building structure, and the disassembly thereof as and when desired. Further objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detail description of the preferred specific embodiments illusl trated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a front perspective view of 'a building embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 22, Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1 and enlarged on a scale greater than that of Fig. 2; I

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 1, enlarged on a scale greater than that of Fig. 3, and illustrating the lintel and sill construction in. detail, the central portion of the filler panel being broken away forclarity; I

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 4, but taken on line 5-5, Fig. 1, extending through a window frame; f

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 6-6, Fig. 5, and illustrates in detail a mullion' formed pursuant to the invention.

Fig. 7 is an exploded fragmentary view of .the complementary elements of .the sill or lintel; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in inside elevation, i. e. looking from right to left in Fig. 5.

In the building construction of Fig. 1,i1lustrated as adwelling house, the wall construction comprises a lower course Ill of prefabricated panel wall units, an intermediate course H of filler panels and/ or windows, and an upper course I2 of prefabricated panel wallunits. 1

The individual panel wall units of the lower course l0 are indicated I3, thefiller panel units and window frame un itsu of the-intermediate,- course II are indicated l4 and [5, respectively, and the pane] wall units of the upper course it are indicated I 6.

and the respective w tially peripherally therearound. I.

Defining the erally extending lintel "and; asse bl es, indicate'd generally l1 and I 8, respectively, and ex tending vertically within such intermediate course intermediate course I ljaiefij ii h The lintel and sill assemblies are desirably.

substantially mutually similar in construction, as illustrated, see particularly Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring now to Figs. 4, 5, 7 and 8, it is apparent that the lintel I'I comprises longitudinally extending jaw parts 20 and 2|, respectively, separately formed, but mutually joined for clamping and unclamping action by reason of their threaded connecting element 22, here shown as long, bolt-headed wood screws. Such connecting elements are spaced apart along the length of the lintel IT at convenient intervals; and extend through suitable passages 23 which are prebored through the inside jaw part 2|, see particularly Fig. 7. Their heads rest in a longitudinal channel 24, which desirably is common to all, and their threaded shanks bite into the outside J'aw part 20 in the clamping operation, see especially Figs. 4 and 5. A socket wrench may be used to tighten or untighten each threaded connecting element 22, and the open channel 24 may be closed by a cap-strip 25, which desirably fits frictionally into place.

It is preferred to provide a washer 26 under the head of each threaded connecting element 22 asan aid in the cinching operation.

The longitudinally extending jaw parts 20 and 2| are each rabbeted longitudinally along the upper and lower margins of their respective jaw faces, as at 21, 28 and 29, 30, respectively, see Fig. '7, for providing upper and lower jaw portions; The remaining intermediately disposed rib portions 20a and 2: of the jaw parts 20 and 2|, respectively, serve to divide the upper and lower jaw portions from each other, and to complete the formation of longitudinal receiving pockets thereat for receiving and seating longitudinal edge portions of associated wall units. The upper jaw portion of the lintel assembly receives and seats the lower longitudinal edge' portions of panel wall units l6 of the upper wall course l2, while the lower jaw portion receives and seats the upper longitudinal edge portions of filler panels l4 and/or window frames of the intermediate wall course I I.

To provide for positive gripping by the llntel, and tying in thereof, with the received wall units, the gripping faces of the upper and lower jaw portions are provided with penetrating members.

As illustrated, such penetrating members are of the form of double pointed pins 3|, which may either be partially driven into the gripping faces of the jaw portions prior to assembly of the lintel, see Fig. '7, or suitably set intermediate such gripping faces and the opposing faces of the received wall units'just prior to the closing of the jaws of the lintel, whereby such pins penetrate deeply, and

"and into the received wall units.

7 T roofing material may be inserted at appropriatell ocations between the jaw faces and the opposing faces of the received wall units, e.' g.

see 32, Figs. 4 and 5.

The sillassembly istially similar in assembly. The a ve description .of. 'the lintel assembly also applies to the sill assembly, and

like p'arts are therefor indicated by like reference characters with a prime, added thereto.

The mullion assemblies I9, see Figs. 6 and 8,

advantageously embody a clamping principle somewhat similar to that of the lintel and sill assemblies. Each mullion assembly comprises vertically extending jaw parts '35 and 36, separately formed, but .mutually associated for clamping and unclamping action by threaded connecting elements. Here the threaded connecting elements are shown as relatively long wood screws 31 which pass through suitable bores provided at suitably spaced intervals along the length of the inner jaw part 36, and bite into the body of the outer jaw part 35.

The outer jaw part 35 is advantageously rabbetted along its length to provide, together with the clamping face of jaw part 36, a vertically extending receiving pocket 31, which serves to receive a, lateral edge portion of a filler panel M. The inner, vertically extending, edge face 35a of outer jaw part 35 is chamfered to provide a wedge-shaped opening 38 which extends vertically between the two jaw parts 35 and 36 and permits very tight clamping between such two jaw parts. I

Washers 39 may be provided under the heads of screws 31 to ease the clamping movements of such screws and to protect the head-receiving depressions of the jaw part 36 against splintering. Whereas this invention has been illustrated and described with reference to a preferred specific embodiment thereof, it should be clearly understood that various changes might be made in such preferred specific embodiment and that various other specific embodiments may be utilized by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and generic scope of the invention as set forth herein and in'the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In building construction, structurally joining means comprising a pair of long jaw elements having jaw faces defining long receiving pocket means on mutually opposite sides thereof for receiving, and for clamping into position therewith, associated structure; and adjustable connecting elements joining said jaw elements at spaced locations along the lengths thereof and arranged for clamping said jaw elements together and for preferably equally, into the jaw parts I here shown as substan- I essential parts with the lintel' unclamping said jaw elements, one of said jaw elements providing a continuous outer window framing structure, and the other jaw element providing a continuous inner window framing structure.

2. In building construction, structurally joining means comprising a pair of long jaw elements having jaw faces defining long receiving pocket means on mutually opposite sides thereof for receiving, and for clamping'into position therewith, associated structure; and adjustable connecting elements joining said jaw elements at spaced locations along the lengths thereof and arranged for clamping said jaw elements together and for unclamping said jaw elements, one of said jaw elements providing a continuous outer window sill structure and the other a continuous inner window sill structure.

3. In building construction, an adjustable joint comprising a pair of long jaw elements having jaw faces defining long receiving pocket means on either side thereof for receiving and clamping into place associated structure at right angles thereto, adjustable connecting elements joining said jaw elements at spaced locations along the lengths thereof and arranged for clamping said jaw elements together and for unclamping said jaw elements, means provided in one of said jaw l including a lower course tially horizontally extending 4. Building construction, comprising substantially horizontally extending courses of wall units of prefabricated panel wall units an intermediate course of window frames and filler panels, and an upper course of prefabricated panel wall units; substantially horizontally extending lintel structure disposed between the said intermediate course and the said upper course,.being substantially coextensive therewith and tying the two together; and substantially horizontally extending window sill structure disposed between the said course .and the said lower course, being substantially coextensive therewith and tying the two together, said lintel and said window sill structures each comprising pairs of relatively long Jaw elements forming, between the component jaw elements thereof, long substantially horizontally extending upper and lower pockets for receiving edge portions of the units making up the said intermediate and the said upper and lower courses, respectively, and threaded adjustable connecting elements joining said component jaw elements of said pairs of law elements at spaced intervals along the lengths thereof and arranged for clamping said component jaw elements tightly about said received edge portions of the wall units and for unclamping said jaw elements.

5. Building construction, comprising substancourses of wall units including a lower course of intermediate wall units, an intermediate course of window frames and filler panels, and an upper course of prefabricated panel wall units; substantially horizontally extending lintel structure disposed between the said intermediate course and the said upper course, being substantially coextensive therewith and tying the two together; and sub stantially horizontally extending window sill structure disposed between the said intermediate course and the said lower course, being substantially coextensive therewith and tying the two together, said lintel and said window sill structures each com rising pairs of relatively long jaw elements forming, between the component jaw elements thereof, lon'g substantially horizontally extending upper and lower pockets for receiving edge portions of the units making up the said intermediate and the said upper and lower courses, respectively, threaded adjustable connecting elements joining said component jaw elements of said pairs of jaw elements at spaced intervalsalong the lengths thereof and arranged for clamping said component jaw elements tightly about said received edge portions of the prefabricated panel wall units and for unclamping said jaw elements,

and gripping elements disposed at the jaw faces of said component jaw elements, said gripping elements being anchored in said component jaw elements and in the received portions of the units of said intermediate, and upper and lower wall courses, respectively, for tying said units and said lintels and window sill structures rigidly together against twisting forces.

ROBERT L. DAVISON 

